Today's news features the BlizzCon 2016 floorplan and schedule, Tom Chilton's farewell message to the World of Warcraft team as he joins a different Blizzard project, and the TESPA Great Collegiate Dungeon Race.\r\r\r\rBlizzCon Floorplan and Schedule\rToday the Schedule and Floor Map for Blizzcon 2016 were released. You may go check out the schedule for both days and the floor plans over at the Official Blizzcon Website.\r\rNov 4th Friday: \r-Warcraft Arena World Championship Group A-B, Semi Final 1-2\r-World of Warcraft: Legion What's Next\r-Warcraft: Your Class! Your Champions!\r\rNov 5th Saturday:\r-Warcraft Arena World Championship Finals\r-World of Warcraft Art\r-World of Warcraft: Legion - Design Retrospective\r-Wacraft Legion In-Game Cinematics and Cutscenes\rWorld of Warcraft Q&A\rWorld of Warcraft Design\r\rOf particular note: \rThe Darkmoon Faire, Voice Acting Stage and Creative Collective Stage occupy a separate floor!\rWarcraft panels include a class fantasy panel, What's Next for Legion, design retrospective, and cinematics.\r\r\r\r\rTESPA Dungeon Race\rTESPA has announced a Mythic+ Dungeon race for college players, taking place between November 8th and December 4th. Brush up on Mythic+ specifics with our Mythic+ Guide as well as our strategy guides for all nine Mythic+ Legion Dungeons.\r\r\r<p>Calling all adventurers! The war against the Legion has begun, and now is the perfect time for collegiate gamers to join the fray. Tespa is excited to announce <strong>The Great Collegiate Dungeon Race!<\/strong><\/p>\r\r<p>On November 8, we\u2019ll be starting a six-week crusade of <strong>World of Warcraft\u00ae Mythic Keystone dungeon races<\/strong> between teams competing for a share of <strong>$20,000 in scholarship prizing<\/strong>! Are there adventurers on your campus who have what it takes to destroy the Burning Legion? Sign up now and start assembling your party!<\/p>\r\r<p style="text-align: center;"><a class="button button-primary button-small" href="https:\/\/compete.tespa.org\/wow" target="_blank">Register Now!<\/a><\/p>\r\r<p id="overwatch" style="margin: none"><img src="https:\/\/bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net\/cms\/page_media\/u9\/U91MOSBC9S4C1464216473471.png" \/><\/p>\r\r<h2>More Information<\/h2>\r\r<p>Group dungeons and the teamwork they involve are centerpieces of World of Warcraft. And with the Mythic Keystone system introduced in Legion\u2122, players are encouraged to gather up four of their friends and take on even greater challenges! With each increasing level of Mythic difficulty, the health and damage of enemies increases, and at certain levels new modifiers are introduced that will require players to adapt, evolve and work together to succeed.<\/p>\r\r<p>The Great Collegiate Dungeon Race begins on November 8 and will conclude on December 4. All races will take place on the World of Warcraft event realms, where players will choose their preferred classes from premade character templates with fixed item sets and Artifact levels.<\/p>\r\r<p id="overwatch" style="margin: none"><img src="https:\/\/bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net\/cms\/page_media\/u9\/U91MOSBC9S4C1464216473471.png" \/><\/p>\r\r<p>The tournament will play out across three separate phases at increasingly challenging Mythic levels in order to find the best adventurers Azeroth has to offer.<\/p>\r\r<p>In <strong>Phase 1<\/strong>, each team will race through the same three Mythic Level 6 dungeons. One dungeon is assigned for three different preliminary rounds, and teams will have <strong>three full days<\/strong> to secure their best time for each dungeon. Those times will then be used to sort the teams into a bracket before they head into the playoffs.<\/p>\r\r<p>The <strong>Phase 2<\/strong> playoffs will pit teams against one another in single-elimination races through Mythic Level 8 dungeons until only four semifinalists remain.<\/p>\r\r<p>The tournament will come to an exciting conclusion in <strong>Phase 3<\/strong>, during which both the semifinals and grand finals will be best-of-three contests on Mythic Level 10 dungeons! These matches will be broadcasted live, so you can follow the action from home.<\/p>\r\r<p id="overwatch" style="margin: none"><img src="https:\/\/bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net\/cms\/page_media\/u9\/U91MOSBC9S4C1464216473471.png" \/><\/p>\r\r<p><img alt="More Information" src="https:\/\/bnetcmsus-a.akamaihd.net\/cms\/content_entry_media\/DFT9UFSVGWCI1475803947382.png" style="width: 658px; margin-top: -20px;" \/><\/p>\r\r<h2>Tournament Schedule<\/h2>\r\r<ul>\r\t<li><strong>Registrations Close<\/strong><br \/>\r\tNovember 6<\/li>\r\t<li><strong>Phase 1: Preliminary Rounds<\/strong><br \/>\r\tNovember 8 - 10, November 12 - 14, November 16 - 18<\/li>\r\t<li><strong>Phase 2: Playoffs<\/strong><br \/>\r\tNovember 19-20, November 26-27<\/li>\r\t<li><strong>Phase 3: Semifinals &#38; Grand Finals<\/strong><br \/>\r\tDecember 4<\/li>\r<\/ul>\r\r\r\rTom Chilton's Statement\r\r\r\rNew Adventures (Just Down the Hall)\u2014A Message From Tom Chilton\r\rGreetings fellow WoW players, \r\rIt\u2019s been a little over a month since we launched Legion, and it\u2019s been awesome to see players enjoying so many different aspects of the expansion\u2014leveling up their characters and Artifacts, diving into World Quests, taking on the Emerald Nightmare. Legion PvP Season 1 is going strong, and some of the best Arena teams from around the world are competing for a chance to battle on the big stage at BlizzCon. \r\rSoon we\u2019ll be releasing our first new content update for the expansion\u2014Patch 7.1: Return to Karazhan\u2014which opens up the Mythic 5-player Karazhan dungeon, continues the story of Suramar, introduces a new raid, and adds even more World Quests and other content. But that\u2019s just the start of it, as we have what we believe to be an extremely exciting patch plan for the rest of the expansion.\r\rFor me, Legion has been more than just another expansion, though\u2014it\u2019s the culmination of more than a decade of work with one of the best development teams I\u2019ve ever had the pleasure to be a part of. And it\u2019s with a mix of excitement, sadness, and gratitude that I\u2019m saying farewell to the WoW team and moving on to a new adventure within Blizzard.\r\rIn 2004, before I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to serve as game director, I started on the World of Warcraft team as a senior game designer. As you can imagine, World of Warcraft was quite a bit different in 2004. Early that year, there were just 60 of us on the team. Around that time in the Friends and Family Alpha, questing was only available up to level 25\u2014for the Alliance only\u2014and the Horde wasn\u2019t playable at all. Some players were even using dial-up modem connections to access the test. \r\rMany on the team still debated on whether the Horde and Alliance should be separated into factions. (We know how that one turned out.) Several other core features of the game didn\u2019t even exist, including raids and PvP. We\u2019ve come a long way since then, with six expansions under our belts to go along with countless raids, dungeons, Battlegrounds, features, and more.\r\rMy personal journey working on WoW as Game Director is at an end, but my journey with Blizzard isn\u2019t. I\u2019ll still be here, but will be focusing on another project within the company. However, it\u2019s with great pleasure that I announce Ion Hazzikostas will be taking my place as Game Director for World of Warcraft. \r\rI know that WoW will be in great hands with Ion at the helm. He\u2019s been an integral part of the team for more than eight years and has contributed to so many aspects of the game\u2019s development\u2014from class design to encounter design and nearly everything in between. He also has an amazing team at his side\u2014the same epic crew that brought you all the content you\u2019re enjoying in Legion.\r\rAs a member of the WoW team, I can assure you that the future for World of Warcraft continues to be bright\u2014and as a player, I\u2019m excited to discover what\u2019s in store next alongside all of you. World of Warcraft is the product of the passion of both the team and all of its players, so I\u2019d also like to thank each of you for the wonderful journey that working on the WoW development team has been.\r\rThank you, and may you have many more epic adventures!

Comentarios

Comentario de Aster55

I might as well ask, but any ideas when the patch will come out? Im one of those paladins trying to grind his glad gear for mog. (Really want those vendors back <3)

Comentario de AutumnLily

on 2016-10-13T13:19:58-05:00

Good luck Sir!

Comentario de Luzitano

on 2016-10-13T13:21:09-05:00

There is nothing to say about this expansion, is the best ever..Im a vanilla player, loved the vanilla times.. tho much as changed through the years, and ofc we "vanilla players" need to accept the changes.. Ofc there were failures by Blizzard. such as WoD .. but Legion is amazing. There is so much content, so much to do that we already forgot WoD.. not if we need lvl up another alt :PBut im up to see the aditional content you guys have planned to WoW.Im just against one thing, for casuals like me.. Mythics (normal ones) should have a LFG system with a 840 ilvl requirement.. i even have done any Mythic :(Casual life.. yeah... not all are hardcores.

(Sorry my english= :P

Comentario de Agniwolf

on 2016-10-13T13:21:30-05:00

me too, after so many years finally an armor that fits well with the BE blood knight red'n'gold motto\r\rcrimson red and black back would be a good thing too

Comentario de horsememes

on 2016-10-13T13:33:38-05:00

>Game director leaves WoW for an unspecified 'project' in Blizzard\r\r>WoW is over a decade old, and Legion is setting up for the 'engame'\r\rWarcraft 4\/WoW 2 confirmed

Comentario de Kayorisama

on 2016-10-13T13:41:59-05:00

Sad he is moving to another project, but it's great for Ion, he definitely deserves the promotion.

Comentario de Aralnda

on 2016-10-13T13:52:03-05:00

Someone really needs to release a blue posts about the 30 or less people leaving WOW\/blizzard in one year. Its allarming and i am concerned for our game and company!

Comentario de MrVolare

on 2016-10-13T13:55:44-05:00

Rather surprised by this, but glad that Ion is slotting into the role. May both of your transitions be seamless

Comentario de bass679

on 2016-10-13T14:06:48-05:00

Dangit Blizzard, stop coming up with more ways to take my money!

Comentario de daemonfox

on 2016-10-13T14:14:29-05:00

>Game director leaves WoW for an unspecified 'project' in Blizzard

>WoW is over a decade old, and Legion is setting up for the 'engame'

Warcraft 4\/WoW 2 confirmed

You, my friend, are on my wavelength.

Comentario de Agniwolf

on 2016-10-13T14:23:27-05:00

>Game director leaves WoW for an unspecified 'project' in Blizzard\r\r>WoW is over a decade old, and Legion is setting up for the 'engame'\r\rWarcraft 4\/WoW 2 confirmed\r\rYou, my friend, are on my wavelength.\r\rmaybe this is the setup for the revamp of the titan project, but instead of being originated in the starcraft verse it comes from warcraft\r\rspace dragons, star elves and galaxy orcs here we go

Comentario de lankybrit

on 2016-10-13T14:25:14-05:00

New Project - Star Wars with the WoW Engine. Just think of the Continents as galaxies, and the zones as planets. Base Starship (Dalaran).\r\rYou heard it here first.

Comentario de MissVern

on 2016-10-13T14:29:35-05:00

Someone really needs to release a blue posts about the 30 or less people leaving WOW\/blizzard in one year. Its allarming and i am concerned for our game and company!\r\rI don't think there's need for alarm. To be honest, I'm sort of glad for fresh people coming in. The last 3 expansions have been dreadful (Cata, Panda, WoD). Now that the top guys responsible for them are leaving, we're getting something amazing and fun again, the likes we haven't seen since WotLK. We also saw a lot of devs leave during Cata, Ghostcrawler being one of them. I think it'll do our company some good to get newer heads ^.^ I'm looking forward to the future!

Comentario de clatt87

on 2016-10-13T14:32:32-05:00

>Game director leaves WoW for an unspecified 'project' in Blizzard

>WoW is over a decade old, and Legion is setting up for the 'engame'

Warcraft 4\/WoW 2 confirmed

This is NOT an endgame WoW expansion. People that say that are nuts. They currently have 10.1 MILLION concurrent players at $15\/month. Why would this be WoW's end game? it's nearly as popular as its ever been and they got their swag back! Legion comes to show that WoW has PLENTY of life left in it. Many expansions yet to come.

Comentario de Agniwolf

on 2016-10-13T14:41:05-05:00

>Game director leaves WoW for an unspecified 'project' in Blizzard

>WoW is over a decade old, and Legion is setting up for the 'engame'

Warcraft 4\/WoW 2 confirmed

This is NOT an endgame WoW expansion. People that say that are nuts. They currently have 10.1 MILLION concurrent players at $15\/month. Why would this be WoW's end game? it's nearly as popular as its ever been and they got their swag back! Legion comes to show that WoW has PLENTY of life left in it. Many expansions yet to come.

maybe it could be an endgame just for the sake of updating the base engine with a "new game", after all there are plenty of mmo's n\u00b02 or 3 out there, think of it not like the end of wow, but a massive overhaul from the very beginning (i still want to see a new silvermoon and exxodar)

or it could simply be blizzard minecraft =p

Comentario de clatt87

on 2016-10-13T14:46:23-05:00

>Game director leaves WoW for an unspecified 'project' in Blizzard\r\r>WoW is over a decade old, and Legion is setting up for the 'engame'\r\rWarcraft 4\/WoW 2 confirmed\r\rThis is NOT an endgame WoW expansion. People that say that are nuts. They currently have 10.1 MILLION concurrent players at $15\/month. Why would this be WoW's end game? it's nearly as popular as its ever been and they got their swag back! Legion comes to show that WoW has PLENTY of life left in it. Many expansions yet to come.\r\rmaybe it could be an endgame just for the sake of updating the base engine with a "new game", after all there are plenty of mmo's n\u00b02 or 3 out there, think of it not like the end of wow, but a massive overhaul from the very beginning (i still want to see a new silvermoon and exxodar)\r\ror it could simply be blizzard minecraft =p\r\rhaha blizzard minecraft wouldn't surprise me at all. Though they need a way to continue the Starcraft series now that II is at an end ;)\rJust saying, that's my prediction. Though I'd honestly really love to see the revival of Titan as an Overwatch MMO, or WoW 2. I'd think it's Starcraft related. I'm doubting it's a retry at the Starcraft MMO though. And I think highly unlikely it'll be Warcraft 4 due to having to deal with Lore in 2 seperate games of the same universe at the same time.

Comentario de xkodx

on 2016-10-13T14:46:52-05:00

Good luck sir! Thank you for your hard work on an amazing game! I know im not only one who thinks this but Legion has brought back the passion for WoW that I had many years ago. I'm excited to go home and play absolutely every day. Cheers!

Comentario de clatt87

on 2016-10-13T14:47:44-05:00

Someone really needs to release a blue posts about the 30 or less people leaving WOW\/blizzard in one year. Its allarming and i am concerned for our game and company!\r\rHe didn't leave Blizzard...just a different team within the company. Likely a new game in the future. This should be exciting, not alarming, he's very talented.

Comentario de JibrilBenes

on 2016-10-13T14:48:53-05:00

New Project - Star Wars with the WoW Engine. Just think of the Continents as galaxies, and the zones as planets. Base Starship (Dalaran).\r\rYou heard it here first.\r\rCan this please be real? Nevermind that your biggest competitor had the license. Make this a reality!

Comentario de p00pyjoel

on 2016-10-13T15:18:24-05:00

Ahh!

I can't stand Ion!

RIP WoW

EDIT: Sounds like they're finally working on a new MMO to replace WoW!